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Deep in the Julia Child archives, past the boeuf bouguignon, onion soup, jiggling aspics and the patently untrue yarn about the chicken that fell from the counter, mid-trussing, and was dusted off and put back into use with a remark about “nobody’s in the kitchen but you,” there are recipes so low in butter and bacon that they hardly fit the stereotype of French food as gluttony, as are thus rarely mentioned. A good lot of them are in From Julia Child’s Kitchen; published in 1975, it contained recipes and kitchen wisdom that came from episodes of her PBS show. Gentler to novices than her Mastering the Art of French Cooking classics, the recipes were probably more familiar to American audiences, things like leek and potato soup, sauteed chicken breasts with tarragon and tomatoes, and, here, a riff on deviled eggs that I am making my mission to rescue from obscurity.

I’m a big fan of the hard-boiled egg; I find that keeping a few in the fridge makes for an easy breakfast with a slice of whole-grain cinnamon toast, a wholesome way to add protein to a lunch salad, or for snacks. My favorite way to eat them is slightly undercooked, peeled, halved and schmeared with the thinnest film of mayo and then sharp Dijon, followed by a few flakes of sea salt, but Julia Child’s version might be their highest calling: the potential to stuff their centers with something like a balanced meal, or at least a really gush-worthy appetizer.

We’re mostly talking about asparagus today, but these can be made with whatever spring vegetables your markets are gracing you with, from artichokes and spinach to, I suspect, favas and peas. You cook whatever you’re using until it’s fully tender, cool it, puree it and I fear, this is where I’ll lose you, but you’re going to need to drain this mess too. Julia has you wring it in a towel. Julia is so awesome that she then tells you how to clean that towel so the stain does not set. Nevertheless, I found that dolloping it on a stack of paper towels for couple minutes worked perfectly, and allowed me to persevere towards my lifetime goal of doing as little laundry as possible.

If you’ve thus far only imagined deviled eggs as goopy with mayonnaise and very rich, these will be a pleasant surprise. Mayo is an option, but not a requirement, as is Dijon mustard. What’s wonderful about them is how much they taste and look like spring, wherever it may be hiding.

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Feel free to replace the asparagus purée with a purée of another spring vegetable such a artichoke hearts (choke and leaves removed; one should be sufficient), spinach, favas or peas. In each case you’ll want about 2 tablespoons drained purée per 6 whole eggs, and you’ll want to cook the vegetable until tender, blend it and drain the liquid a bit as explained below before mixing it into the mashed egg yolks. Adjust flavorings to the ingredient; artichokes go wonderfully with lemon zest and mayonnaise; peas with cream and mint.

Hard-boil eggs using whichever method you prefer. I cover mine with cold water, bring it to a boil, then set a timer for 9 1/2 minutes. When it rings, drain the eggs, and plunge them in ice water until they’re fully cool. Eggs can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Cook asparagus spears in salted simmering water until full tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and plunge in cold water. Drain and again and spread on towels to dry out as much as possible. Cut 1/2-inch off the tips of each spears and cut these tips lengthwise (they’ll be your garnish). Puree remaining asparagus — I found that my food processor didn’t do a great job due to the small volume, but yours might. A food mill with a fine disc works well here.

You’ll want to remove the excess water from your puree; I did so by spreading it for a minute on a few paper towel layers. If you don’t, the filling will be soggy and damp, or in Julia’s words, “a disappointing texture and flavor.”

Peel your eggs. Dip your knife in water before cutting each in half lengthwise for a cleaner cut. Shave a thin strip off the bottom of each so that it will not rock about in its dish. Remove the yolks and press them through a fine-mesh strainer to sieve them. Add asparagus puree, shallot or chives, mayonnaise or cream, Dijon or lemon zest (if using) and combine mixture until smooth. Season carefully with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

You can spoon the mixture into each egg half, or use a piping bag with a star tip for a fancier presentation. Decorate each stuffed egg with a reserved asparagus tip (you’ll be a little short of what you need), and the remaining with the extra shallot, scallion or chives. Wrap tray in plastic and keep in fridge until ready to serve.

Any suggestions for actually cooking and peeling the eggs? We have 13 backyard chickens, so always an abundance of eggs and looking for things to do with them. I tried to make deviled eggs last weekend and was SO FRUSTRATED because my eggs were so hard to peel, and by the time I got them done, were so mangled that I made egg salad instead. Apparently the fresh eggs are part of the problem, people have suggested aging them at least 2 weeks before trying to peel, but that takes planning and by then I’d have another 6 dozen eggs. It makes me wonder what’s so different about those supermarket eggs :(

These look amazing!! What an ingenious way to combine some of my favorite things and make me feel less guilty eating deviled eggs. Deb, you’re a genius and never fail to amaze me. I am slightly obsessed with every recipe that you put out, thank you for all your hard (yummy) work!!

We’re hosting a party for my Dad’s birthday next week – heavy Hors d’oeuvre are planned for the menu, and this would be absolutely perfect. You always seem to share the most perfect recipes at the perfect timing!

My grandma raises chickens and gives us the eggs, and she dates them when she plucks them. She always saves one or two from each day to be used later in hard-boiling. This is also very cool for when she gives the eggs away, and we know to what use to put those bad boys. She also told me, and [internet fact alert] I am waaaay too lazy to verify this fact for you: The eggs from the supermarket are usually a month up to 6 months old by the time we get them. Hence the really short life they give them on the cartons. Also, I’ve noted that I can keep my fresh eggs for several months without noticing much change in quality. Supermarket eggs can sometimes last months, sometimes not.

Sadly, I now live on the other side of the country from her eggs. I have to settle for CSA eggs which still just aren’t as good. Sigh.

@katie painter: peeling fresh eggs is almost impossible. 2 weeks might help, but even eggs bought from the store (which can be a month old) can be hard to peel unless they’ve sat in the fridge for a couple weeks more. some say refrigerate the cooked eggs before peeling.

julia shared this in her book, The Way to Cook: http://www.grouprecipes.com/21423/the-perfect-hard-boiled-egg.html
this really does make the eggs absolutely perfect tasting and with the best texture. it’s supposed to make them easier to peel also, but i don’t know about that. i even skip the second boiling and ice bath now, but if my eggs were fresher, i think i wouldn’t skip it. it doesn’t say it here, but i thought she also said to poke holes in the bottom of the eggs. maybe i read it somewhere else. don’t poke too deep.

Oh man, I would love to have a few of these for lunch today! I love how they’re almost the reverse of a salad–instead of asparagus vinaigrette with finely minced egg, you go the opposite direction. Perfect!

Fun fact about store bought eggs and the ages thereof: commercially packed eggs have a 3-digit number printed on the end of the carton that tells you the day of the year the eggs were packed. So, if the # is 001, they were packed on January 1, 035 would be Feb 4th, etc. I’ve never noticed eggs being a month or more old at my grocery store, but I do check for the oldest number when buying eggs for hard-boiling.

Age your eggs before hard boiling them and they will peel better. Old cookbooks used to mention this, but it is so hard to find truly fresh eggs now that this is left out. They will easily keep in your refrigerator while they age. Old version of Joy of Cooking tell you how old they should be, I can’t remember.

These look delish! Will have to try them, perhaps with fresh peas and tarragon?

So now have to share my fool-proof egg boiling technique. Cover eggs with cool water to about 2 inches above the eggs. Bring slowly to a boil and let boil for about 30 seconds. Then turn off the burner, cover, and set your timer for 12 minutes. Perfect every time, whites perfectly tender, no green ring around the yolk. The trick to tender whites is not to boil them too much. I find that if I drain them immediately, then cover with cold water to cool, they peel pretty easily (store-bought eggs, not sure about farm fresh). I do what my mother always did, which is to start by shaking the eggs side to side in the pot to start cracking the shells.

I recently picked up this tip for peeling fresh eggs from a very old cookbook and it really seems to work: use a thumbtack to prick a small hole in the wide end of the egg before boiling them. By using the wide end, you’ll hit the air bubble and won’t puncture the membrane so the contents won’t leak out into the water. Apparently, back in the day when eggs were fresher they used to sell something called an egg piercer for this purpose but I’ve found the thumbtack works just fine. This is the only trick I’ve found that works – good luck!

With farm-fresh eggs, leave them out of the refrigerator overnight once to get easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs. My landlady gives me the most wonderful fresh eggs that she gets from her sister-in-law, from free-range chickens at her home in the Vermont countryside. So delicious!

These look relish!!!! I was just recently introduced to the idea that deviled eggs could branch out from Mayo/celery/onion territory. I was completely converted by the amazingly spicy and addictive sri racha deviled eggs that a friend made. Adding this subtler but surely delicious take to my list of variations to try!

Always loved deviled eggs as a kid (circa 40s and into the 50s, USA) and these look tasty. My mom was not a good cook (we kids complained bitterly about her inevitably ‘naked’ chicken) but she could make great angel food cake and yummy deviled eggs.(I know, why???) I’ve lived in the UK for over 50 years and guess what? We can buy egg piercers. Little, simple gizmos with a sharp, tack like point which you push the egg against safely and hey presto: a tiny, neat hole. I gave one to a USA friend who saw mine and she adores it. (Also, don’t you just love the way eggs have been totally resurrected from ‘bad food’ land?)

You can still buy an egg peeker which is the device that pokes a tiny hole in the egg to release the air while it cooks. It’s available through http://www.novanatural.com/ and costs around $5.00. It’s a bit more reliable than a thumbtack and won’t stab you! You can also use it to poke the holes to blow the contents out of an eggshell in preparation for dying or painting it.
To peel a hard or soft boiled egg, I knock it on the counter to crack the shell and then roll it around until the whole shell is cracked. This both helps get the shell off without massacring the insides but loosens the membranes under the shell.

Fresh eggs: Bring water to a boil. Add eggs and boil 14 minutes. Plunge in ice cold water. My farm fresh eggs have peeled easily since I began using this method. I believe the plunge into the boiling water releases the membrane from the shell.

Plan on making these beautiful delicious looking deviled eggs along side salmon and boiled red skinned potatoes. Can’t wait great timing. Always pleased with your wonderful recipes and also all the comments are most helpful. Happy Spring, Passover and Easter to everyone.

Looks amazing! FYI the best method I’ve found for consistently peel-able eggs is to steam them in a steamer basket (instead of boiling them). In my experiments, 10 minutes seems to be just the right amount of time. You don’t have to mess with ice baths or anything else, and the age of the eggs doesn’t seem to matter with this method. Now I’m eager to try to this recipe!!

Do you think the egg yolks could be processed in the food mill using the same disc as the asparagus instead of using a sieve? Sounds like it would be easier, but I’m wondering if they would be gummy. Looking forward to trying the recipe!

@Karen Painter. I have chickens and I’ve tried everything to get eggs that peel. Finally found the best! I steam them. My eggs are medium to large so adjust your time. I steamed one egg to check on the time. Slightly undercooked is perfect and creamy. I get the water boiling, put the steamer basket on and steam for 11 minutes. Immediately put them in a bowl of ice and water.

Christopher — Yeah? I honestly hadn’t realized people were still using it. I’ll look into it. And if anyone else wants to vote for a Google Plus page, let me know!

Laura — Yes, that would work fine, I’d think.

Emily — Ha! I have NO IDEA. Will fix now. (Updated to note: I realize that there’s no way you’ll have enough garnish so I went back to Julia’s original — 6 to 8 tips for 12 whole eggs, or 24 deviled halves — and now see where my mistake was rooted! Ah well. I’ll suggest other garnishes.)

In some households, the chicken story is true, except it was a turkey! And don’t even get me started on the cranberry sauce the blender threw on the ceiling. Of course, this all reputedly happened in my parents’ kitchen on their first Thanksgiving, never in mine :)

Hmmm…thumbtacks seem rather awkward and without even seeing a real “egg piercer”, I think I will try a push pin. Anything to get eggs to peel would be helpful, even super market eggs can really be stubborn.

Re, piercing the egg — Actually, in some recipes (though not this one, well, she didn’t mention it at least here so I forgot to) Julia advocates this as well. I’m making more this afternoon and will try the piercing and report back.

Wow! I’m always looking for fun ways to recreate the tried and true “deviled egg”. This looks like a fun take on it and I just might make these for Easter! I’m seriously drooling on my computer right now. Can’t wait to try this recipe out!

Wow, these like the perfect appetizer recipe for Easter (if I can wait until then!). I will probably wind up making them this weekend. No one can make these better than Julia, but you give me hope that I can at least try.

I seem to remember something on America’s Test Kitchen about adding baking soda to the water, when hard boiling fresh eggs, to get the shells to come off easier. A much safer option than leaving them out on the counter overnight (#46)! Can’t wait to try this recipe later today.

The true dropped-it-on-the-floor-and-picked-it-up Julia Child story comes from a very early PBS show, in black and white, in which she discusses how you have to have confidence to flip your, I want to say omelette but I’m not sure, and then…she flips it, and it lands not in her pan but on the floor. And she gamely scoops it up (maybe it was a potato concoction, like a Potatoes Anna?), and makes the comment about how you’re the only one in your kitchen. That last part actually happened. I have it on DVD and it is fantastic!

For making a large batch of “hard boiled” eggs, I love using my electric steamer, no babysitting! And from my chicken farmer friend, for easy peeling, you MUST ice bath after cooking. Apparently it shrinks the egg away from the shell. I’ve easily peeled a eggs laid the same day using this method.

For once, we happened to have all the ingredients necessary to make a recipe the day of, so I made these as a surprise for my sister (who loves both deviled eggs and asparagus), and she loved them! She’s in the middle of planning her wedding, so when her reaction was “Now something like this I would be willing to serve at my wedding reception!” it was high praise indeed. You and Julia Child are a formidable pair.

These little eggs seem to be popping up everywhere at the minute. I love mine with the yolks mixed with just a bit of mayonnaise and curry powder – so simple and delicious! But I have to say that I love asparagus so think these will be an absolute must to try over Easter. Thanks for sharing

I brought these to a meeting last night and they were very much appreciated. I made a few changes, my chives are producing in abundance and there is no good local asparagus so I just minced chives and garnished with finely chopped chives. Also I used regular yellow mustard for a brighter yellow color and cut the vinegar to compensate.

I have also made them in the past with a sprinkling of chipotle pepper which is pretty and very tasty

I have a small flock of hens and I boiled eggs are my household’s favorite treat. I rarely have a hard-to-peel egg using this method: Cover eggs with two inches of cool water and bring just to a boil. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 12 minutes (I prefer 10 if not using for deviled eggs). Plunge eggs into an ice bath for a minute then put them back into the pan and shake it slightly to crack the shells. Wait a few minutes and peel! Most peels will slide right off, but if they are a bit stubborn peel them under cool running water. As a last resort, in the case of the one-in-twenty egg that refuses to let go of its shell, I cut it in half and scoop it out of the shell with a spoon. You can salvage the yolk for more filling and enjoy the white with a spot of flaked salt if it is too mangled for deviled eggs.

One more way to save a pan – throw your asparagus into the boiling egg water and fish it out with tongs after 4-5 minutes. I don’t think putting a little salt into the water is going to hurt the HB eggs. Or forget the salt, because the recipe states to add salt to taste. You could also add the salt to the garnish by sprinkling with a bit of flaked salt (I love flaked salt!) just before serving.

Just made these with fava beans, half mayo and half sour cream. I skipped the shallots/chives (because the closest I had was onion and I was worried it would be overpowering) and the Dijon, but added the lemon zest and a little bit of cumin. Really good, though I think the fava flavor gets a little lost. Maybe the asparagus stands out more.

The true secret of cooking easy-peel hardboiled eggs is — USE A PRESSURE COOKER!!! I have a cheap old pressure cooker that I use for this sole purpose. Never fails. I’ve tried every other supposed “trick” for easy-peel eggs and they only work half the time. Seriously, google it and try it.

Eggs & mustard, a natural combination. I will definitely try this recipe. As a teenager, I was reading “Julia Child” while my friends were reading romance novels. Love the woman & the inspiration she left us…

Katie – as others have said, it is difficult to peel boiled, fresh eggs because the albumen will stick to the shell. Aging (at least a week, but 2 is probably better) will allow a bit of moisture from inside the egg to evaporate away, and pull the albumen away from the shell for easier peeling. Additionally, a spoonful of baking soda added to the water seems to make a big difference in my experience.

I just want to say that while I haven’t made this particular recipe yet, your tip of boiling the eggs for 9.5 minutes has been PERFECT! It’s exactly the time that gives me hard boiled eggs like I like ’em- a little soft in the middle. I know hard boiled eggs aren’t rocket science, but this tip made my day :D Thanks!

I made these, after ordering an egg piercer (genius), and am for the very first time disappointed in a SmittenKitchen recipe (and by default, in Julia child. cooking blasphemy!). I honestly wouldn’t have believed you made this if I hadn’t seen the photos. My asparagus just spun wildly in my food mill and did not puree in the processor, i have a pot from it and from the eggs, as well as a large bowl to cool them in, the egg yolk didn’t even make an effort to move through my fine mesh strainer with a spoon or spatula, and then there was still the little mixing bowl, wet paper towels, and pastry bag and tip, cutting board and knives…and probably more. And all I got was a very small plate of deviled eggs that taste a bit like asparagus. I bake often, and it can be messy, but to have emptied my cabinets for deviled eggs, which will disappear long before I get halfway through the dishes, is a bit painful. They are tasty, but they are not that tasty.

To the question of how to peel your eggs for deviled eggs.
You might not believe it, but I just tried it for Easter brunch ant it really works.
After your eggs have cooled, lay them on their side and .. cut them in half with a good kitchen knife, then get a spoon and scoop the whole thing out of the shell.

Made theses for a cocktail party and we all thought special and delish. Was skeptical about asparagus in eggs, but came out better than I would have thought and more delicate than the average deviled egg. Erin’s comment made me laugh b/c this recipe definitely has potential for frustration. I, too, tried and gave up on the fine mesh strainer. Actually what made this an absolute breeze for me was my mini cuisinart food processor, which is great for small volumes like this. First puréed the asparagus and drained in the paper towel. Then put in the yolks, the puréed asparagus, 1 scallion (green part only) broken into 3-4 pieces, mayo, the Dijon and seasoning and puréed it all together. No prob, no huge mess. Spooned in, didn’t bother piping. Garnished with the asp tips as suggested. Grated lemon zest on top of platter. Beautiful looking as well as good. Made it with eight eggs and 6 asparagus instead of the 6 called for in the recipe.

I know you all quit writing comments here months ago, and perhaps nobody will see this, but I had to put in my 2 cents for the pressure cooker method. I used to have eggs from my own chickens (damn those dogs), and its true that hard boiling them did not produce easy-to-peel eggs.

Pressure cooker approaches require having a PC that distinguishes between medium and high pressure. On medium pressure, that air bubble in the base of the egg is pushed to surround the egg (not stay on the bottom), allowing for easy peeling. In my experience, eggs less than 12 hours are still not easy to peel, but after a day or two, this strategy works!

Note that accidentally leaving the cooker on high pressure will give you a nasty surprise upon opening.